The Growing Ways
by Hidden Facade
Summary: AU. Growing up is perhaps the hardest lesson to learn. Life's a hectic jungle that twists and turns. Sora and Riku live together in a dorm and struggle through collage. Family troubles plague both of them and they pull through the best they can, together.
1. A Thousand Voices

A/N: I am still editing this but am doing it more actively now so it will be reposted now. Thank you to new and old readers, for not killing me when I took it down.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Kingdom Hearts I or II or its characters.

* * *

It takes a thousand voices to tell a story.

-Native American Saying

* * *

Sora Hikari was frustrated with Kairi Galarza.

When they had first arrived in Traverse Town, Kairi's older sister Namine had taken them in.

It had been fine for the first few weeks but then a girl named Yuffie Kisaragi had shown up. Yuffie was a twenty year old third year collage student like Namine. Yuffie was five foot three, while Namine and Kairi were five foot five, and Sora could blend right in at five foot six.

Yuffie had black, chin length hair, and violet eyes. She always wore a thin black hair band around her forehead. Kairi, to put it simply, had a crush on her.

It all went downhill from there.

Kairi wouldn't stop talking about Yuffie, and the two had recently started to flirt with each other. So, two weeks before the start of college, Sora signed up for a dorm room. Fortunately, there was one dorm room left available. He didn't know the name of his roommate but nevertheless he would move into the dorm, a week before the start of college.

* * *

Riku Watanabe was still in Radiant Garden, California, currently working at a local Wendys.

Last week, he had been working in a restaurant but had been fired because he refused to adhere to the dress code. After he started to work at Wendys, he had become not quite friends with another employee named Roxas. His looks were distantly familiar but the harder he tried to remember, the harder it got.

They got along well enough and spent their breaks together. After a week of working there, he had noticed a bruise peeking out from under the collar of Roxas's shirt. When he asked about the bruise, Roxas had blushed and mumbled that it was from a fist fight. Riku didn't believe it for a second but didn't press.

In a week he would head to Traverse Town to attend collage.

* * *

Riku was packing his bags when he heard angry shouts from the living room. It sounded like Cloud and Leon were having another argument, about what he could only guess.

They had been fighting more often lately, and it was getting annoying, so it was a relief to move out.

All three had been best friends since first grade, and they had been the popular crowd in high school. Alas, this was the real world. They were out of high school and were considered adults. Cloud and Leon had been together since twelfth grade, but it looked like they might break up. As a result they had been fighting viciously lately.

Riku walked to the living room, where Leon and Cloud were fighting. He stay silent as he wait for them to calm down. A few minutes later they finally stopped.

"Um . . . I'm leaving now," he started, interrupting them from glaring at each other.

They turned their attention to him and he couldn't help but fidget under their combined stares.

"Well, I'm sorry we can't see you off but I'm sure you can understand, right Riku?" Cloud started.

"It's fine, I can see myself off," he returned softly.

An uncomfortable silence ensued. Finally Leon broke it with two words.

"Good luck."

He smiled at them before he turned and went back to his room.

He came back a little later with his luggage.

The suitcase was filled with clothes, reading material, toiletries and a few other things. He would travel to New York on an air plane, and then he'd drive to Traverse Town. A rental car would be waiting for him at the airport in New York.

His brothers, rich from their deceased parents firm, were paying for the plane ticket and car rental. He grimaced at the thought of his three older brothers. Riku and his brothers didn't get along, so it was a miracle they were doing this for him.

When Riku finally walked out the front door and to his car, he felt a pang in his heart, but ignored it and drove to the airport, after putting his stuff into the trunk.


	2. Makeover Hell

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Kingdom Hearts or its characters. I do NOT own Final Fantasy, any of them, or their characters.

* * *

We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it

-Mark Twain

* * *

Kairi and her accomplices, Yuffie and Namine, giggled as Sora turned beet red. Kairi had convinced Sora that he should get a makeover before it was too late. It was not going to be anything major, according to Kairi, but Sora was starting to doubt her. They had already done clothes and were now moving onto Sora's glasses. Sora had gotten glasses when he was sixteen, due to a growth spurt. Kairi and the two other girls had somehow convinced him to get contact lenses. His glasses weren't too bad, but Kairi insisted he would look better without them, since it would make his blue eyes more noticeable.

As soon as Sora had on his new contact lenses they went to a jewelry store. They got two necklaces. One was a gold star on a gold chain that rested just past the hollow of his neck while the other was a medium sized silver crown that rested on his chest. Than they went to another store and bought a black choker and two black bands made of the same material. They rested on a bench afterwards, the girls going over their check list.

According to the list they still needed makeup and shoes, though the former was completely lost on Sora. Still, it left dread settling in his stomach.

Next was a makeup store. They bought five sticks of eyeliner, than they did the shoes. One pair of sandals and one pair of sneakers and one pair of a black leather knee high boots with a wide heel an inch in high. Sora protested fiercely against the boot, but the girls over powered him. Thankfully though his hair was going to be left alone. The brown hair was a little longer then short and stuck in every direction in spikes. Sora had gained a light tan form over the summer.

'_This day couldn't get any better.'_ Sora thought sarcastically

For Sora, the day couldn't get any worse. It was two weeks away form the first day of collage, and he would be moving into the dorm room he was sharing the beginning of next week. Sora watched as Kairi brushed a lock of her red shoulder length hair away from her face. She was watching Yuffie out of the corner of her eye. Sora rolled his eyes. Kairi had been watching Yuffie like this for a while now and it was kind of annoying. Sora found himself watching Kairi more often then usual because of this. He wasn't jealous or anything but he considered Kairi his sister. Sora noticed Kairi blue-gray eyes were now sparkling mischievously; causing a gleam to appear in her eye's. Namine was silent as usual. She had fair skin and her eyes were the same color as Kairi's, though more blue than gray. Her hair was pale blonde and ended a little past her shoulder, though it was usually tossed over one shoulder. Sora was glad that the makeover was over as he was more then eager to leave the mall.

* * *

Sora collapsed on his bed. Him and the girls had just gotten back from the makeover from hell. Sora stared at the ceiling of his temporary room, thinking.

'_I've always been called cute, never handsome, sexy or anything else.'_

Sora had made the mistake of complaining about it to Kairi and the makeover form hall had begin soon after. Sora sighed, sitting up, and grabbing the two letters tht had been delivered to him earlier. the first one was from his parents.

_Dear Sora, _

_We hope you're okay. Your father and I miss you very much and wish you luck on your first year of collage. Do your best and keep your chin up. We sent some money with this letter. Even though we aren't rich, we aren't poor either, so don't try to send the money back. Sorry to cut the letter short, but your father and I have some business to attend to. _

_With Love, _

_Your Mother and Father._

Sora dumped the money onto his lap, and counted it out. A thousand dollars in cash. Sora whistled at the amount in his lap. Like his mother had siad, they weren't poor and neither were they rich. The only thing she had left out was tha they were dangerously close to being poor. The second letter was from his brother.

_Dear Sora,_

_I'm doing fine as of now so there's no need to be concerned for me. How are you? The neighborhood bullies have been leaving me alone lately, and I haven't been getting into any fights. I've recently been fired but I have already found a new job. The pay isn't as good but it will do for now. I hope you are fairing as well as I am now. Good luck with college._

_With love,_

_Your brother. _

Sora sighed after reading the letter. He didn't like to think about his brother because it led to worry. Though he doesn't hate or dislike his brother, he just doesn't like to worry about him. He could look after himself, even if he was younger. Sora ran a hand through his hair as he sighed. Putting the letters aside on the side table, Sora slipped under the covers. Soon after sleep carried him off.


End file.
